


Been in the Dark (Since the Day We Met)

by farmgirl428



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Cults, Demons, F/M, Ghosts, Happy Halloween!, Haunting, Horror, Paranormal, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, The Black Tapes AU that no one asked for, it's gonna be a wild ride y'all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:42:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27180568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farmgirl428/pseuds/farmgirl428
Summary: "The first thing you need to know about paranormal research... is none of it is normal."Rey, a journalist for Pacific Northwest Stories, is creating a new podcast on unique jobs. After meeting paranormal researcher Dr. Benjamin Solo, her podcast quickly morphs into something larger and more terrifying than any of them could have anticipated.ORThe Black Tapes AU that no one asked for but I wanted to write for Halloween
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the first Reylo fic that I am actually posting to AO3! This first chapter is un-beta'ed, so if you spot an error, please kindly let me know in the comments (please don't throw rotting produce at me). 
> 
> Halloween is my favorite time of year, so I hope this puts you in a spooky mood! Happy Halloween, Reylos!

“The first thing you need to know about paranormal research is: none of it is normal.”

Rey grinned as she quickly hit the pause button on the recording she had made earlier. She had been nervous when her producer, Finn, had suggested interviewing paranormal investigators for their new podcast series. However, Dr. Luke Skywalker, a famed parapsychologist at the University of Washington, had been one of the most exciting interviews Rey had ever conducted. She could already tell that the audience was going to love it.

Leaning into the mic in the recording studio, Rey put on her “radio voice” and said, “That’s Dr. Luke Skywalker. He’s written five books on paranormal phenomena and is considered to be a pioneer in paranormal investigations. We’ll speak to him more in a moment.” She paused, took a sip of water, then continued narrating, “According to a government poll in 2015, 45% of Americans believe in ghosts, and 43% believe ghosts can interact with people. Wal-mart sells a ghost-hunting kit for beginner and intermediate ghost hunters. Despite the staggering number of believers, few of us actually seek out professionals who spend their time researching what happens after death. We decided to interview a well-known paranormal researcher to learn more about this belief that is commonly held, but rarely discussed.”

Rey hit play on her recording again, and Dr. Skywalker’s gruff voice filled the room. “I’ve seen all kinds of paranormal apparitions. We are human, but the things we are investigating are not.”

Rey had gently countered in the interview, “What do you have to say to those who claim that this field is not a science- just pseudoscience?”

Skywalker snorted dismissively. “Have you been speaking to Solo?”

Rey paused the recording again. “Of course, I had not been speaking about Solo. But his name kept coming up in interviews that I did with other paranormal investigators. So I did some investigation of my own.”

What Rey had heard from other paranormal researchers had not been flattering, to put it lightly. It ranged from thinly veiled insults to outright expletives. When she searched for “Dr. Benjamin Solo” on Google, the first result was for The Solo Institute, a think tank for occult research started by Dr. Solo himself. She was struck by how young the man pictured on the homepage of the website was. His youth was one of the least striking things about him. His presence- even from a photo- was imposing. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a mess of thick and wavy dark hair. He had branded himself as a “ghost hunter who doesn’t believe in ghosts,” and the Solo Institute became more nationally known in 2016 when a reward of a million dollars was offered for anyone who could provide convincing, undoctored footage that showed evidence of paranormal activity. What made him stand out in the ghost-hunting community was his ability to craft scathing retorts and his brutal dismantling of the science that so many in the community upheld.

As soon as she watched a YouTube video of Dr. Solo coolly defending his stance on paranormal science at a ghost-hunting convention, Rey knew she needed to interview him. Her phone held evidence of how challenging the endeavor had been thus far. She had placed three calls to Dr. Solo’s publisher seeking an interview and had received two voicemails politely declining her request in return.

Yawning as she checked the time on her phone, she closed her laptop. Rey was not one to take “no” for an answer. In that spirit, she and Finn were flying out to Chicago at 5 AM the next morning, hoping to interview Solo in person. Going to bed close to midnight the night before an early flight wasn’t typically recommended, but Rey had always loved the solitude of late nights in the city. Once her laptop was tucked away in its canvas carry case, she began scrolling through a Chicago Tribune interview with Solo. Rey absentmindedly turned off the lights of the recording booth and locked the studio. Putting her phone away, she started her car and turned out of the parking lot towards home.

As Rey drove home, she was distracted by plans of how she would interview Solo once they encountered him. Just as she was mentally reviewing her hard-hitting questions about the haunting of the Sagamore hotel, she felt something akin to a static shock run through her body. She instinctively hit the brakes on her Subaru Forester and looked up at the road at the same time- and gasped as she saw what could only be described as a bizarre shadow crawl across the street in front of her. It moved in a way that was inexplicably both fluid and disjointed, long digits extending out unseeing towards the forest on her left. As she looked at it, the quiet talk of NPR faded into background noise. Her ears were filled with a loud ringing, and the air felt too thick to breathe. With effort, she closed her eyes- an attempt to refocus her vision. As her eyelids peeled open again, the figure in the road was gone. Shaking her head, she looked around her vehicle, almost expecting it to be in the passenger seat beside her. When she looked in her rearview mirror, cold dread solidified as nausea in the pit of her stomach. Meeting her gaze in the mirror was the shadow, now bent at an unnatural angle and peering straight through her back window. She struggled to swallow back acrid vomit as she saw its face in the moonlight. Its eyes were where its mouth should be- and the mouth- it was in the wrong place. The ringing was more like screeching now; she couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t feel-

A more profound sense of urgency set in as she watched the mouth spread into a too-wide grin; the figure’s eyes were glassy and unblinking. A long-fingered hand- digits too spindly to be human- reached towards her window. Rey screamed as the sound of nails scraping against glass resounded through her car. Before she could think anymore, her foot met the gas pedal, and she sped off.

She sat in her car, shaking for an interminable amount of time after she arrived at the small house she rented. Finally, she picked up her phone and dialed Finn’s familiar number.

Her friend sleepily answered on the second ring. “Rey?”

Rey took a deep breath, unsure if she would vomit or speak when she opened her mouth. After a few deep breaths, she said, “Finn? Can you come over?”

She could hear the confusion in his voice as he responded. “It’s almost midnight. What’s wrong? Did someone try to break into your house again?”

Rey shook her head, panic rising in her throat the longer she sat in the car. “It’s too weird to explain over the phone. Just… come over, please?”

Her heartbeat settled slightly as she heard him pushing back the covers and getting out of bed. “Alright, just stay where you are. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

After Finn hung up, Rey turned on her radio, quickly switching from NPR to the local top 100 channel. She spun the volume dial, blasting the music as though that could drive off whatever thing she had just encountered on the road. Her neighbors would be pissed tomorrow, but she’d be out of town anyway.

When Finn arrived ten minutes later, Rey had never felt so reassured to see his Toyota Highlander’s headlights. Tentatively opening the door of her car and cutting the engine, she softly called his name. When he came to her side, she threw herself into his arms.

Speaking soothingly, Finn asked, “What happened? Why are you shaking?”

When Rey shook her head, Finn softly said, “Alright, let’s just get inside.”

After they were situated indoors and Finn had made them both a cup of tea, Rey hesitantly recounted what had just occurred out on the road. When she finished the tale, Finn regarded her quietly. “Do you think that all the ghost stories you’ve been reading for the show are affecting you?”

Shaking her head fiercely, Rey responded vehemently, “I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t my imagination.”

Finn looked at Rey, and whatever he saw in her face seemed to solidify his belief in her. “Well, we have an early flight out of SeaTac tomorrow. Why don’t I just sleep in here on the couch tonight? Tomorrow, we can stop by my place to get my suitcase on the way to the airport.”

Rey nodded and slowly got up off the couch. “Let me go get you some blankets.”

As she settled into her bed, Finn’s soft snores in the next room a comforting presence, Rey stared at the ceiling. She was determined not to examine the shadows in her bedroom too closely, lest the visitor from the road make itself known.

* * *

4:00 came much too quickly, and Rey’s mind was still fuzzy as she and Finn trudged out to his car in the crisp morning air. As Finn unlocked his car, she remembered her recorder. “Hey, wait up a minute- I’ve got to get my recorder from my car,” she called.

Finn turned his phone flashlight on to help her see. After she grabbed her recorder from the passenger seat, Finn started to walk back towards his car- but stopped at her car’s rear window.

“What the _fuck_ ,” he hissed.

Rey was at his side instantly; silently, Finn raised the flashlight back up to the window. Running through the dust on the unwashed glass pane were three parallel scratch marks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Rey arrive in Chicago and participate in a paranormal investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Hallow's Eve!!! There should be another update this evening, and a wild Ben Solo will appear in that chapter! In the meantime, enjoy some more of Finn and Rey's shenanigans.

After landing in Chicago, Finn and Rey took a few hours to nap in their hotel rooms before regrouping to plan out their strategy. 

“He certainly likes to make himself unavailable… no address listed for the Solo Institute,” Finn noted. 

Rey growled with frustration. “I think our best bet would be to stake out his office at the University of Chicago. In the meantime, I’ll keep calling and leaving voicemails with his publicist.”

The pair split up to shower and change into something more professional than wrinkled sweats that smelled like the airport. After that, they took the L to the University of Chicago. 

When they arrived, they spent some time wandering the hallways, attempting to locate Solo’s office. Eventually, they found it- unfortunately, the lights were off, and the door was locked. Sighing heavily, Rey and Finn made themselves comfortable on a bench across from the office. 

After an hour, a petite middle-aged woman approached them. She was wearing a Ramones t-shirt and Converse sneakers and appeared slightly out of place in the imposing architecture. 

“Waiting for Dr. Solo?” she asked. Her voice was gravelly, with the qualities of a former smoker. 

Rey nodded. “Do you have any idea of when he might be back?” 

The woman let out a scoff, running her fingers through short hair. “He makes himself scarce around here. I wouldn’t hold your breath, waiting for him to show up.” 

Finn spoke next. “Do you work here?” 

She smiled. “Yes. I’m Dr. Emily DuMont. Nice to meet you.” 

Rey introduced them, then asked, “We are doing a podcast on paranormal investigators- would you feel comfortable being interviewed?”

Dr. Dumont looked down at her watch. “Well, the faculty meeting scheduled for this afternoon was canceled last minute. I have time if you’d be willing to speak right now.”

Exchanging a quick glance with Rey, Finn said, “Sure. Why don’t we meet in your office- better acoustics.”

As they entered Dr. Dumont’s office, Rey was struck by its cluttered state. There were half-full mugs of tea on every available surface, enormous stacks of papers surrounding her computer, and handwritten cards and letters tacked to the walls. Rey noted a diploma from the University of Virginia hanging above her desk.

While Finn set up the recording equipment, Rey perused the bookshelf squeezed between a tea table and a popcorn maker. “Ghost Hunting for Dummies, Past Lives in Your Wedding… how many books have you written?”

“Seventeen, not including my works of fiction,” Dr. Dumont replied nonchalantly.

Finn gestured to Rey that the recorder was now on. Rey decided to continue in the same vein of conversation. “Do you find that your work as a parapsychologist influences your fiction writing?”

Dr. Dumont stiffened noticeably in her chair, her expression clouding over. “Not at all. Why would you say that?”

Rey, recognizing that she had tread into a sensitive topic, backtracked. “You’ve had so many fascinating experiences in your research- I thought it might-”

She was cut off by a swift response from Dr. Dumont. “My works of fiction are far more personal and intimate in their nature. More like 50 Shades of Grey, less like Ghostbusters.”

Rey smiled uncomfortably. Fortunately, Finn quickly shifted into a new thread of conversation, and from there, they spent the next 45 minutes discussing Dr. Dumont’s career and paranormal encounters. As the interview winded down, Dr. Dumont paused thoughtfully.

“Tonight, my team and I are driving an hour outside the city to investigate a haunting in a credit union. Would you be interested in joining us?”

That was how Finn and Rey found themselves in Manteno, Illinois. They huddled close together in the empty parking lot of City Trust Credit Union, hands shoved into their jacket pockets to protect against the biting wind. Rey watched curiously as Dr. Dumont’s team unpacked equipment from the car before walking towards them. After exchanging greetings and introductions with the rest of the group, Dr. Dumont pulled out a laptop. 

“I was emailed this footage two weeks ago by the owner of this bank. For some background- the land that this bank stands on was once part of Manteno State Hospital. The hospital opened in 1927 as an asylum, but in 1939 there was a typhoid outbreak. Over 100 patients died that year. There have been reports of activity in this area for years.”

Dr. Dumont hit play on the video footage. Finn and Rey came closer to the screen for a better look and watched as the grainy security footage captured a door slowly opening- unaided. There was an odd blip in the footage, then the door slowly closed on its own.

Rey felt a chill run down her spine. Perhaps it was just the lateness of the hour, or maybe her encounter in the road last night- but she was definitely feeling a bit suggestible.

Fortunately, Finn was comfortable playing the role of skeptic. “Are the doors automatic? Any chance the wind could have blown it open?”

Dr. Dumont shook her head. “These are the doors to the vault in the bank. They are not automatic and are quite heavy.”

Before Finn could launch into more questions, a man pulled up in a Honda Civic. “Are you Dr. Dumont? I’m Walter, the property manager here.”

While Dr. Dumont went to speak with Walter, Finn leaned in and asked Rey, “So? What are your thoughts?”

“I’m just trying to keep an open mind,” Rey replied mildly.

Finn glanced at her, more concerned now. “Are you good with this? We can just pack up and go back to the hotel for the night.”

Rey shook her head. “I’m fine. Besides, I want to see what happens.”

Dr. Dumont gestured for them to make their way inside the bank. Finn offered to help the crew carry equipment while Rey had their notebooks and recorders.

Once they were inside, one crew member pulled out a small device that looked like a walkie-talkie. Rey turned on her recorder, then asked, “What do you have there?”

The crew member (Rey thought she remembered him being introduced as Donnie) said, “It’s an EMF detector- detects electromagnetic activity in our surroundings.”

Finn asked, “Anything interesting?”

Donnie nodded seriously. “There’s definitely something here. The EMF readings are off the charts.”

Rey turned to Dr. Dumont. “Do you think it could be a ghost of one of the typhoid victims?”

Dr. Dumont shook her head. “It could be, but we don’t want to jump to conclusions. It could also be a portal spirit or a similar lesser entity.”

“Is there any way to find out what it is?” asked Finn.

“There is,” Dr. Dumont replied mysteriously.

After a dramatic pause that made it clear Dr. Dumont wasn’t going to elaborate on her own, Rey asked, “So how do we find out?”

“We ask it,” replied Dr. Dumont serenely.

Finn snorted unsubtly and made a poor attempt at covering it with a cough. While Dr. Dumont glared at him, Rey turned to Donnie, who was now placing flashlights on the floor.

“What are you doing?” she inquired.

Donnie gestured to the lens of each flashlight, and Rey observed that they were tinted different colors. “When we communicate with the spirit, we will leave the flashlights turned off. Blue is yes, red is no. The spirit can turn each light on or off to tell us its responses.”

Dr. Dumont cleared her throat. “Can everyone please form a circle around the flashlights?”

Finn and Rey shuffled to get into position. Dr. Dumont continued, “It won’t take much energy for the spirits to turn the lights on or off."

Raising her voice, Dr. Dumont called out, “My name is Dr. Emily Dumont. We would like to speak with the entity that resides here. Can you turn one of the lights on?”

Rey felt a bit too aware of her heart thudding in her chest as they waited. Suddenly, the room lit up with a red glow. Finn grabbed her arm and pointed to the floor- the red flashlight had been turned on.

Dr. Dumont seemed unperturbed. “Thank you,” she said, just as serenely as if a waiter had given her a glass of water. “Please turn the light off.”

After a moment, the light switched off. Rey’s heart leaped into her throat.

“Please use the blue light for yes and the red light for no,” Dr. Dumont requested authoritatively.

The blue light flashed briefly. A creaking whine began abruptly, and Rey gasped in fear as the door of the vault behind their circle slowly swung open. She continued to watch as the door started to close again, untouched by anyone in the group. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Rey screamed, Donnie ducked while wildly waving the EMF meter, and Dr. Dumont even appeared mildly ruffled. Looking for the sound source, Rey heard a muffled, “My bad, you guys…”.

To her left, Finn was sprawled out on the ground and had a sheepish countenance. She darted over to help him back up. As Rey extended a hand to him, he grumbled, “The batteries died on my recorder, so I went to grab my phone. Tripped over a box of equipment in the process.”

“Well, I think that may conclude the investigation for this evening,” Dr. Dumont said drily.

Rey glanced over at Finn, and they both burst out laughing. Quickly schooling their faces back into something more serious, they gathered up equipment and got into the ZipCar Finn had rented for the trip. Once they were ensconced in the privacy of the car, Finn asked, "So... do you think there was something there?" 

Rey nodded. "The flashlights weren't manipulated by anyone in the group. I think there was something in there with us." She was looking forward to seeing if the skeptical Dr. Solo could refute this evidence of an encounter. She just had to get an interview with him first.


End file.
